


The End

by My_Trex_has_fleas



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-08 10:50:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5494475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_Trex_has_fleas/pseuds/My_Trex_has_fleas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The concluding part but not the end of the story...</p>
          </blockquote>





	1. Homestead

Inspiration comes at the worst times, it really does :D Inspired by [this amazing edit](http://damnitfili.tumblr.com/post/135509061720/holiday-graphic-countdown-1931-for-achvilles) by damnitfili for achvilles.

 

The thing that had been hardest to get used to was the silence. Kili had never been a particularly settled sleeper, but now it was even worse when every little sound was so magnified that it echoed in his head. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and looked at his brother still asleep next to him. Fili was on his side, rifle cradled in his arms and his head cushioned on his jacket. His thick blond eyelashes shaded tanned cheeks and Kili reached out to just rest his hand on Fili’s shoulder, connecting them and anchoring himself back into the here and now.

They had been barely into their mid-teens when the end had come. Their parents had done their best, taking them to their uncles’ farm in the middle of nowhere. Thorin had been Special Forces a long time before and Dis and Vili had thought they would be safe there.

They were wrong.

The dead were everywhere and he’d watched his parents taken down along with Frerin, his other uncle. Thorin had barely managed to get them out alive. Later that night, he had left them up a water tower and gone back to finish their family, who had no doubt been turned. When he had come back the next morning, his face had been grim and he hadn’t been the same since then.

He’d kept them on the move, taught them how to shoot, how to kill with a knife. They had learned to scavenge and which berries were safe to eat and which ones were not. Kili had discovered that he was far better with a cross bow than a rifle. Fili had discovered that, like Thorin, he was one hell of a sniper. They had grown and gotten strong and quick. And the whole way through it, Thorin had watched over them, replacing the parents they had lost.

A year after it had all happened they were somewhere in Oregon. Or what used to be Oregon. That was when Kili first started noticing that he was feeling things he shouldn’t have. They had been holed up in an old farmhouse which still had beds, and his brother had been crashed out next to him in what was once the master bedroom. Thorin always gave them the double bed because Kili’s nightmares were much easier to soothe if he had Fili sleeping next to him. But tonight, there were other dreams. Dreams filled with blue eyes and a soft smile, with hands that did things to him that no brother should have done.

Kili had woken with a gasp and with warm wetness in his pants. He had been mortified and then to top it all, he noticed that Fili was awake. He’d gone quiet, his heart racing and shame and embarrassment flooding through him. He’d started to say something, anything to protest as to what Fili might have been thinking but to his everlasting surprise Fili had shaken his head. Then he’d reached for Kili’s hand and taken it, pulling it gently down and placing it on the front of his jeans. Kili had been horrified until he realised that Fili was hard under his palm. He’d looked up in confusion but Fili had said nothing, simply crossed the inches that separated them and kissed him.

It had been a strange courtship, both of them having no real reference for it. Both of them had had a couple of girlfriends in high school, but that had ill prepared them for what they were embarking on now. The first time they’d fucked had been a surprise for both of them and the logistics of it had made them realise that importance of certain things. Keeping it from Thorin had been another concern. The three of them were so close, they had known it was only a matter of time before something slipped.

Thorin, of course, had approached it in his usual blunt way. They had been looting a pharmacy when he’d chucked something at Fili, who had caught it neatly. Kili had been standing right next to him and they both stared aghast at the bottle of personal lubrication Thorin had thrown at them.

‘You boys might find that useful.’ Thorin had said with a low chuckle and walked off to leave them standing there with burning faces.

He’d not said a thing about it afterwards and as the days passed and they grew bolder, he still showed no sign of being unhappy with their newly defined relationship. Even when Fili had pressed him about it one night, Thorin had simply sighed and told them to take happiness where they could find it because it was a dead certainty that it would not find them in a hurry.

‘Hey.’ Fili’s soft voice jolted Kili out of his reflection. ‘You okay?’ Kili looked down into summer blue eyes and smiled.

‘Yeah, just thinking.’ he said and Fili half smiled, a ghost of a dimple at the corner of his mouth.

‘You know that’s dangerous right?’ he said, voice teasing. ‘Especially for you.’ Kili gave him an answering half smile. It was a rare day when he was capable of a full one anymore.

‘Fuck you, Fee.’ he replied and Fili huffed a quiet laugh. Kili remembered a time when they would compete to see who could make the other one laugh loudest, but it was a time long gone. Fili didn’t do anything loudly anymore. Even when he was deep inside Kili he was silent, his only giveaway the uncontrollable shaking of his body when he came. Kili leaned over to him, going down on one elbow and Fili reached up to stroke his thick dark hair out of his eyes, the leather fingerless gloves he wore giving off a musty familiar smell. Their eyes locked and then their mouths followed, the kiss slowly bringing them back into themselves and each other.

‘Boys.’ Thorin’s voice broke through the silence and they separated to see him standing in the doorway of the barn they were hiding in. ‘Sun’s coming up. Time to head out.’ Then he gave them a small smile and left them to it. Kili sighed deeply and sat up. Fili did the same, rolling his head to work the kinks out of his neck.

‘I think I slept funny.’ he said. Kili chuckled and shoved him gently.

‘I think your head’s funny.’ he replied then got to his feet and held out his hand. Fili took it and Kili hauled him up and looked down at him. He found it beyond amusing that he was now taller than his big brother. At twenty-two, Fili was a good half-head shorter than he was. Fili picked up his jacket, dusted it off and put it on, then picked up his backpack and put it on. His rifle was carried in his hands constantly.

Kili did the same, retrieved his crossbow and followed his brother out of the barn.

Thorin was standing at the water pump, working it evenly so that gushes of water came out. Fili and Kili took it in turns to fill their canteens and then catch handfuls to splash in their faces.

‘Which way?’ Fili asked, shaking water droplets from his dark blond hair. Thorin took his compass from his pocket and nodded in the direction of the woodlands down the slope from them.

‘Keep going west.’ he said. ‘We can hit the coast in a day or two, I reckon.’

‘Cool.’ Kili said, running both wet hands through his shoulder length hair and tying it pack with the hair tie he kept on his wrist. ‘It’s been a while since we were at the sea.’ He grinned at Fili. ‘We can swim, catch some fish…’

‘I think you don’t so much catch them as frighten them away.’ Thorin said with one of his rare smiles. He shifted his AK and started off towards the woods. Kili followed with Fili bringing up the rear. It’s how they had always done this, Fili and Thorin’s protective instincts towards his teenage self making them always keep Kili in between them. He glanced back over his shoulder at his golden brother, his idol and lover and protector and felt his heart tighten.

************

They had been walking for the whole morning and it had been wonderfully quiet. It was late summer and the long days kept the dead at bay. It also meant there was plenty to eat. Long abandoned orchards were still full of fruit trees and they ate as they moved, putting some in their packs for later. Soon, Thorin would be looking for a place for them to overwinter, somewhere they could bed down and make secure. The dead got considerably slower in the cold, their bodies stiffening up and making it hard for them to move quickly. It meant that four months or so, they could be in one place. It meant hunting and gathering fruit and drying and smoking the whole way through the cold months.

Fili chewed absently on a piece of jerky, savouring the meaty taste and listening to Kili sing snatches of half-forgotten songs up ahead. He watched his little brother walking, his lithe stride drawing his eye like nothing else could. Kili had grown from a gangly fourteen year old into a beautiful adult, his dark good looks making Fili breathless when the light caught him just the right way.

The noise, when it came, was faint but unmistakable. Thorin stopped dead and held up his right hand in a fist. Trained to respond to the signal, they both stopped dead and stood as still as statues. Thorin turned and looked at Fili. He pointed his two first fingers at his eyes and gestured to the right. Fili rea the signal and hefted his rifle, moving quickly and quietly in the direction that Thorin had indicated. They had long ago found that Fili was by far the quietest of the three, able to move unheard like a shadow through the trees.

He headed up a slight slope, the dappling from the sunlight through the branches making it easy for him to blend in with his surroundings. When he got to the top of the slope, the trees below thinned out considerably and Fili was able to just glimpse some buildings though them. He slowed his pace as he approached, rifle held at the ready, until he could crouch and get a clear view through his scope.

What he saw made Fili’s blood run cold.

The dead were always a problem, but people had forgotten that other people could be just as big a threat, especially in these times where there was no more law and order. Fili had seen one too many settlements attacked and devastated by roaming bands of raiders. It was one of the reasons the three of them preferred to be nomadic.

There were bodies, mostly male to judge from the clothing. He also saw several others, stripped naked and unmoving on the ground and knew what that meant. It was enough to make his blood boil. A figure moved into his shot and Fili could see that it was a raider and that he was holding a boy in his arms, struggling wildly but no match for the man who had him in his grip. Another cry and Fili shifted the scope an inch to the left and saw another figure, on his knees with his hands behind his head, and with a raider aiming a weapon at the back of his head.

Fili acted on instinct. He aimed and squeezed off a round with the perfect precision that often made Thorin remark that he would have been a credit to the army if he had ever joined. The shot was true, ringing out in the still air. Through his scope Fili would have seen the head of the man standing behind the kneeling prisoner explode like an overripe watermelon, but he was already chambering the next round and sighting on the man who was holding the boy. The next shot rang out in quick succession and the next thing Fili heard was the sound of automatic weapons fire and knew that Thorin and Kili had no doubt broken cover and gone in. he got to his feet and ran down the slope to join them.

**********

Kili ran along the back of the ridge that ram in front of the farmstead, keeping his head down. Thorin had gone in ahead of him, and Kili heard the sound of his AK firing and some return fire. He moved until he was in line with what looked like an outbuilding and then stood. A raider was running past him and Kili sighted and fired, the quarrel hitting the man squarely in the throat. He dropped without a sound and ran across the open yard to the door of the barn that the man had come from. He entered slowly, reloading as he went, and lifted the crossbow to firing height. There was no movement in the darkness of the shadows and Kili was about to turn when the slightest movement caught his eye from behind him. The raider his him hard and low and knocked Kili onto his back. Kili managed to deflect the man’s knife, getting hold of his wrist the way Thorin had taught him and twisted hard. The man cried out in pain and dropped it. Kili twisted hard again, using his greater height and momentum to flip them before grabbing the knife and driving it hard into the man’s neck, holding it there until the raider stopped struggling and eventually went limp.

Kili got up and heard Thorin’s voice calling for him. He picked up his crossbow and jogged out into the light, raising one hand to shade his eyes. He headed for the houses and as he got there he saw Fili and Thorin standing over the bodies of five raiders, two whose heads were mostly blown away marking them as his brother’s handiwork.

‘Hey.’ Fili said, coming over to him. ‘You okay?’ It was an echo from that morning and Kili gave him a thin smile.

‘Fucker got the jump on me in the barn.’ he said. Fili’s eyes widened just a touch.

‘And?’ Thorin’s voice was stern. Kili turned to look at his uncle.

‘And I killed him.’ he replied and saw the flicker of approval in Thorin’s dark blue eyes.

‘Good.’ Thorin said and then turned away from Kili, revealing a man and a boy standing behind him.

Kili stared at them in open curiosity. They didn’t get to see many people. This was obviously a working farmstead, one of many that had sprung up in the wake of the end. The man was short, and he looked about Thorin’s age. He had thick curly red brown hair and grey eyes, his face creased in fear and worry. He had his arms crossed over the chest of the boy in front of him. The boy was young, maybe around ten and on the small side. His huge blue eyes reminded Kili of Fili when they had been kids. Tears were streaked down both their faces which were also smeared with dirt.

Thorin stepped forward and they flinched back. Kili watched as his uncle sighed and then lowered his weapon to hang by his side.

‘We mean you no harm.’ he said and held up both hands. ‘My name is Theodore Oakenshield. These are my nephews, Philip and Kilian.’

The man looked from one to the other, his face showing the war of emotions going on inside him very clearly.

‘William Baggins.’ he said finally. ‘This is Frederick, my nephew.’

‘Very nice to make your acquaintance, William.’ Thorin said, giving him a smile.

‘Bilbo.’ the boy blurted out. Kili looked at Fili who gave him a small shrug.

‘Excuse me?’ Thorin asked. William gave him a watery smile.

‘His name’s Bilbo.’ the boy replied. ‘No-one calls him William. And I’m Frodo.’ He glared at the three of them as if daring them to disagree. To Kili’s complete surprise this got a full smile out of his normally stone faced uncle. Thorin went over and knelt down and held out one hand. Hesitantly the boy took it and Thorin shook it.

‘Well, now we seem to be in good company.’ he said to Frodo. ‘You can call me Thorin and that is Fili and Kili behind me. We like nicknames too.’ He looked up at Bilbo and Kili saw gratitude in the man’s face.

‘You killed the bad men.’ Frodo said.

‘Yes, we did.’ Thorin replied. ‘They won’t hurt you anymore.’

‘Thank-you.’ Bilbo said, but his voice was strained with pain. ‘I just wish you had turned up a little sooner.’ He tightened his grip on Frodo.

‘Yes.’ Thorin said solemnly. ‘So do we.’

*************

They spent the afternoon clearing away the bodies. The other members of the farmstead were all dead, and Kili and Fili helped Thorin dig a large hole to bury the dead. Bilbo and Frodo had gone inside the main house to clear up the mess the raiders had left.

The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon when Bilbo came out. He was dressed in clean clothes and nothing about him suggested that only a few hours before he’d watched his neighbours and companions raped and murdered in front of him.

His eyes though, were haunted.

‘Please.’ he said. ‘Won’t you come inside and join us for dinner.’

‘Thank you.’ Thorin replied. ‘But it’s getting dark. We really should be on our way.’

‘Please.’ Bilbo repeated and there was desperation in it. ‘It’s the least we could do after what you have done for us.’

Fili looked at Kili and then they both looked at Thorin. They could tell he was torn.

‘Just for one night, Thorin.’ Fili said. He could see that it was fear that drove the man to invite three strangers into his house. ‘Just to make sure no-one comes back.’

‘Yeah.’ Kili added. ‘We could all use the rest.’

‘And a homecooked meal.’ Bilbo said, hope lighting up his eyes. ‘Please.’ Thorin heaved a sigh.

‘All right.’ he said.

They followed Bilbo into the house. To their surprise it was immaculate. He gestured towards the staircase that led upstairs.

‘There are some rooms to the left of the stairs.’ he said. ‘I’ve left some hot water so you can clean up.’ Fili and Kili shared a look that bordered on childlike excitement. It was a rare occasion when they got to have a decent bed to sleep in. Hot water was a bonus that was both unexpected and welcome.

‘You are very kind.’ Thorin said. ‘We’ll be out of your hair in the morning.’

‘No rush.’ Bilbo said with a sad smile.

They went upstairs and found three doors standing open. Thankfully, they seemed to be guest rooms as there was no sign of personal effects anywhere.

‘Get washed up.’ Thorin said. ‘We’ll eat and sleep and be gone when the sun comes up.’ He went inside the nearest room and closed the door behind him.

Fili turned to Kili with a raised eyebrow. They went into the next room, Kili shutting the door behind them. They found a double brass bedstead dressed in a cheerful quilt. There was a washstand and next to it a bucket of hot water, steam rising from it.

‘Jesus Christ.’ Fili said, hanging his rifle on the end of the bed and then taking off his pack. ‘An actual fucking bed.’ Kili grinned and came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Fili’s waist and leaning his chin on his shoulder.

‘I have some very interesting ideas about what to do in that actual bed.’ he said and kissed behind Fili’s ear. Almost as if on cue, the door opened and Thorin stuck his head in.

‘No funny stuff, you two.’ he said. ‘Leave it until at least after dinner all right?’ They both smiled at him, proper smiles this time and it tugged at Thorin’s heart for just a moment.

When they came downstairs, at least somewhat cleaner than what they had been, it was to find a table groaning with food. There was a chicken stew full of succulent meat and forest mushrooms and chunks of bacon, a bowl of lightly steamed fresh greens and ears of bright yellow corn. Thorin watched Fili and Kili’s eyes widen at the bounty spread before them. Frodo was already seated and gave them a shy smile. As they drew nearer, Bilbo came out the kitchen with a basket of fresh rolls in his hand. The delicious smell made Thorin’s mouth water. He couldn’t even remember the taste of fresh bread.

‘Please sit.’ he said and they did as instructed. Bilbo came to sit down at Thorin’s right and handed him the rolls.

‘Do you want us to say grace or something?’ Thorin asked, his voice unsure. They had been to a few homesteads where religion was the order of the day. Bilbo snorted.

‘No.’ he said flatly. ‘Eat.’

They didn’t need to be asked twice.


	2. Homestay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The concluding part but not the end of the story...

Fili woke up with a start. It took a moment to figure out where he was, but then he saw sun streaming through lace curtains and heard nothing but birdsong outside and relaxed as his recollections of the day before came back to him. He fell back onto the pillow beneath his head, and lay still and luxuriated in the smell of clean laundry and the soft mattress. 

Fili turned his head and looked at the dark spill of curls on the pillow next to him. He smiled as he took in Kili’s sleeping face, the dark lashes shading his tanned cheeks. His little brother was seldom still, but like this Fili could look at him all he wanted to. He raised his hand and gently traced the line of one thick dark eyebrow. Kili shifted and snuffled softly and Fili smiled again. Kili was so beautiful, he could look at him for hours. 

They seldom got this, the quiet time when they could just be together. Their lives were a series of long hikes and dropping from exhaustion. Any time they managed to steal for themselves was usually rushed, frantic and done with Fili’s hand over Kili’s mouth to muffles his cries. They could ill afford to be caught unawares like that.

But this morning, Fili could almost pretend that their life was normal. That this was their bed in their home. That here they had all the time in the world to be together.

‘Morning.’ Kili’s voice, sleep-soft and low broke through Fili’s thoughts. He looked down into eyes that were turned amber by the sun behind them.

‘Hi.’ He replied and lay back down so they were level with each other. ‘Good sleep?’ Kili smiled and then stretched like an oversized kitten. 

‘Very good.’ He said. “I always forget what it’s like to sleep in a bed.’ He reached for Fili’s hand, thumb running over Fili’s knuckles. ‘Remember how we always used to sleep in the same bed.’

‘It used to drive Mom nuts.’ Fili said, smiling at the memory. ‘They tried to put us in separate rooms.’ 

‘But I always ended up back with you.’ Kili said. He sighed. ‘It wouldn’t have been possible, would it? Us? If it had happened before the end.’

‘No.’ Fili said. ‘We would have been in a lot of trouble.’ 

‘Do you think they would have separated us?’ Kili couldn’t quite hid the shake in his voice. 

‘They would have tried.’ Fili said. ‘But I would have found you.’ He reached out and placed his hand over Kili’s heart. ‘No matter where they took you, I would have tracked you down. You belong to me, just like I belong to you.’ Their eyes locked.

‘Love you Fee.’ It was a whisper. 

‘Love you too, Kee.’ Fili whispered back.

**********

Thorin paused outside the door, heard the muffled voices through the door and lowered his hand from where he’d been about to knock. He stepped away from the door and went back down the corridor and down the stairs. It was quiet and he berated himself for having fallen sleep on the bed in the room he’d been given. He had only meant to nap for twenty minutes and then go to keep watch. Instead he’d fallen sleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow. 

He got to the kitchen of the house and noticed that the air was cooler than it had been the night before. He went to the range and opened the fire chamber, noting how the embers were banked. Thorin fed it the remaining logs that were stacked next to the range and got it going again. Bilbo had set the giant copper kettle to one side the night before and Thorin hefted it. It was almost empty. He decided to go out and refill it from the pump in the yard and get some more logs at the same time. He slung his weapon over his shoulder and unbarred the door of the kitchen then stepped outside and onto the porch. 

The farmstead was quiet except for the persistent crowing of a rooster in the direction of the barn where they had found the raider Kili had killed. Otherwise it was as if the carnage from the day before might never have happened. Even the patches of blood had faded into the sand. 

Thorin smiled as he remembered early mornings on the farm he’d shared with Frerin. They had been good mornings, mornings of light and warmth and heated breaths on bare skin. They boys had never been told why he was so comfortable with their relationship, although he had the distinct suspicion that Fili knew, had worked it out in that shrewd brain of his. 

But that had been before the end. 

The hardest thing he’d ever had to do was look his brother in the eyes that were now devoid of everything that had been Frerin, the deep hazel colour that Kili had inherited clouded over and dull. That was easily the single most painful moment of his life, to see those eyes and know that even the thing that owned them was still walking, still moving, his brother was gone. The man he loved was gone. Thorin would never feel his hands or taste his mouth or hear his voice again.  
After that it had been easy to put the shotgun to Frerin’s forehead and pull the trigger.

He walked across to the pump ad filled the kettle then carried it back into the house and set it to boil on the range. As he did so, Thorin spied a wicker basket sitting on a chair near the door. On a whim he grabbed it and went back outside.   
The henhouse was in the field just beyond the barn, raised up on tall legs to keep foxes out. Thorin took his time, clucking softly to the sleeping hens and reaching in to collect the eggs they had laid. He had twelve in the basket by the time he was done and headed back. He passed the wood pile as he walked past the barn and noted that it was pretty low. The thought of Bilbo, a sweet genteel man by all impressions, wielding an axe seemed unlikely to Thorin. It had probably been one of the other men who had been responsible. He saw that the axe was hanging up on a hook under one of the barn eves. It had been some time since he had chopped wood but it was like riding a bike in his opinion. 

********

The first echo sounded faintly in the quiet of the room and Fili grinned. He recognised that sound. Thorin could never resist a woodpile. 

‘Hey.’ The voice above him was slightly breathless and rather indignant. ‘I would appreciate it if you focus and not go all goofy faced on me.’

Fili laughed and tightened his grip on Kili’s hips, using the added leverage to thrust up a little harder. Kili gasped and dropped his head, dark curls shielding his face from view. His own hands were on Fili’s chest bracing himself as his hips moved in deep slow rolls as he rode him. 

They didn’t do it like this often, not usually having the time or the privacy. But fuck, Fili loved it when they did. Kili was gorgeous like this, an expanse of olive skin and dark body hair that had grown in much thicker and silkier than his had. His lips were parted, soft moans coming with each gentle rock, and Fili lay back and watched until it felt like his heart would explode from love.

***********

Bilbo woke, as sudden as if he’d been doused in cold water. The sharp echo brought bad the terrible events of the day before and his heart started pounding. Next to him, Frodo whimpered in his sleep. The next noise broke through his fear enough for him to realise that it wasn’t the sound of a gun, but of the axe. Someone was chopping wood. He got out of bed, washing his face at the washstand and dressing. He left Frodo to sleep, tucking him in and kissing the head of curly brown hair. Then he went to the bedroom door and peered out into the corridor. 

The room Thorin had occupied was empty, the bed made and looking as if no-one had actually slept in it. Bilbo stood at the door and considered what strange turn of fate had brought the three men to his door. 

That was when he heard the noises. 

Bilbo could be remarkably light of foot when it was required. He moved across the corridor to the closed door and listened. It only took a moment to realise what the moans coming from behind the door signified and his face heated up immediately. 

Confused he stepped back from the door, but not before he heard the change in rhythm the bed springs were making. Bilbo took that as his signal to leave and had just made it to the top pf the stairs when he heard the soft cry that signalled the end for at least one of the players.

He all but ran down the stairs, bursting into the kitchen to see Thorin coming in with an armful of wood and his wicker egg basket hung over the crook of his elbow. Thorin raised his eyebrows in surprise and then looked sheepish.

‘I thought I would get a couple of things done.’ He said and then clocked the look on Bilbo’s face. ‘What’s wrong.’

‘I…’ Bilbo said and then looked helplessly at the ceiling. Thorin’s eyes widened a little and then his face set in an unreadable expression.

‘Oh. That.’ he said. ‘Well, at least they managed to hold off until this morning. You’ll have to forgive them. They don’t usually have the opportunity to have a bed and privacy all at the same time.’

‘You know?’ Bilbo was aghast. Thorin sighed and went to stack the wood next to the range and then placed the basket of eggs on the table. He turned to face Bilbo, hands on his hips.

‘Yes, I do.’ he replied. ‘I’ve known since it started.’ He stood and folded his arms, and Bilbo could read defensiveness in every line.

‘Why didn’t you stop it?’ he asked. 

‘What for?’ Thorin said, and now his tone matched his body language. ‘Because a bunch of defunct social rules said that they had no right to happiness?’ He shook his head. ‘Those boys were barely teenagers when the end came. They had to watch their parents being ripped apart in front of them. They lost everyone except me. If they’ve found love with each other, then it’s not my place to say that they can’t have it.’ He sighed. ‘Look I understand if it makes you uncomfortable. We can leave once they’re up.’

‘No.’ Bilbo said, a little too quickly if he was being honest. ‘You’re right. It’s none of my concern.’ He was at a loss as what to say. ‘The truth is that right now, I would feel a whole lot better if you all stuck around a bit.’ His voice shook. ‘I haven’t quite recovered from yesterday and Frodo’s my family and…’ He stared at his feet and realised he was rambling but then felt a pair strong hands on his shoulders. Bilbo took a deep breath and looked up into a pair of eyes that he realised were remarkably blue.

‘It’s all right.’ Thorin said, his voice a deep rumble. ‘It’s a lot to take in.’

‘We’ve never had anything like that before.’ Bilbo couldn’t help the break in his voice. ‘Not once in eight years.’ He felt the tears sting his eyes. ‘How can people be so cruel?’ He looked at Thorin pleadingly. ‘Even the dead aren’t that bad.’

‘That’s because the dead have no conscience or choice.’ Thorin replied. He guided Bilbo to a chair and sat him down. ‘Were they all your family?’

‘Not immediate, no.’ Bilbo said. ‘This farm was my mother’s. Frodo was born two years before the end. When it came, we all hunkered down here.’

‘Did his parent’s turn?’ Thorin asked. He hunted in the dresser and came back with a mug then opened several canisters on the counter until he found what he assumed was tea, chamomile by the smell of it. He spooned some into the mug and then topped it up with water from the kettle and handed it to Bilbo.

‘No.’ Bilbo said, still sniffling a little. ‘Believe it or not, they died in a boating accident. They drowned out on the river. He gave a choked up little laugh. ‘It’s ridiculous. They survived the end for three years and then…’

‘Shit like that still happens.’ Thorin said. He sat down opposite Bilbo, now with his own cup of tea. ‘Anything could happen and life gets snuffed out in an instant.’ He sipped. ‘It’s one of the reasons I gave Fili and Kili my blessing. They could lose each other any day and have to live with the knowledge that they could have grabbed happiness, even for a second.’ 

‘Actually that makes a lot of sense.’ Bilbo said. He sighed heavily. ‘I have tried to be a good replacement for Frodo’s parents, keep him safe. I know what it means to do anything to make them happy.’

‘Well, then.’ Throrin said and gave him a half smile. ‘We understand each other.’ He took another sip. ‘But when the boys get up we will be on our way.’

‘Where will you go?’ Bilbo asked. 

‘We’re headed to the coast.’ Thorin said. ‘Winter’s coming and we need to find a place to bed down for a few months. The coast is always warmer.’

‘That’s a long way to go.’ Bilbo said. ‘Especially on foot.’ 

‘We’ve done it before.’ Thorin replied. ‘We’ll make it.’

The boys came down about a half hour after Bilbo had come into the kitchen. They were acting like kids, shoving at each other and giving each other the stupid love struck smiles that always accompanied any sexual activity between them, Thorin had discovered. As soon as they saw him and Bilbo sitting at the table though, they quietened down. To hide his embarrassment , Bilbo busied himself with breakfast, boiling the eggs Thorin had bought in and frying some thick slabs of bacon to go with it. 

He was utterly touched by the wide-eyed reverence with which the Fili and Kili accepted their food. Even the rolls from the previous evening were happily greeted and Bilbo felt a small flicker of happiness in his stomach as he watched them eat. 

*********

After breakfast, he walked out into the yard with Thorin, while the boys did the washing up.

‘How old are they?’ he asked. Thorin gave one of those ghostly smiles of his. To his surprise, Bilbo found himself wondering what a real one would look like.

‘Fili’s twenty-two, Kili’s twenty next month.’ he said. 

‘They seem older.’ Bilbo said. 

‘They had to grow up very quickly. In truth, Fili acts like he’s older than I am sometimes.’ Thorin said. ‘He’s always shouldered the responsibility of looking after his brother. Kili’s been able to be a boy a little while longer.’

‘He certainly didn’t sound like a boy this morning.’ Bilbo said without thinking and then promptly went red. ‘Oh, I am sorry.’

‘Don’t be.’ Thorin gave him a grin and this once had actual teeth in it. ‘Trust me, I’ve had to listen to far more than I’ve ever wanted to.’ He gave Bilbo a look that was so amused it almost startled Bilbo into laughing. ‘And how do you know it was Kili making all the noise?’

‘Oh God.’ Bilbo said abruptly and this time Thorin actually chuckled. Bilbo couldn’t help but notice that he was rather attractive when he did. Then his brain promptly started screaming at him for noticing the day after his entire farmstead had been massacred in front of him. 

‘You know, you could stay one more night.’ he blurted out and Thorin turned with a startled look. 

‘We really couldn’t impose.’ he said.

‘Please.’ Bilbo said. ‘You would be doing me a favour.’ He was trying not to sound as pleading as he suddenly felt. He looked at Thorin and saw the internal conflict warring on his face, but that Thorin was desperately trying to hide it.

‘All right.’ he said finally.

**********

‘Something’s going on out there.’ Fili said thoughtfully. He rinsed the plate he’d just washed and gave it to Kili to dry. 

‘Really?’ Kili peered past him. They watched the seemingly awkward exchange outside in the yard. ‘What do you think they’re talking about?’

‘No idea.’ Fili said. He frowned. ‘Maybe Bilbo is asking him about what to do about this.’ He looked back at the kitchen to indicate the farm. ‘We buried six people yesterday. It’s going to be a lot of work to keep this going by himself.’

‘Maybe he’ll ask us to stay.’ Kili said, and the offhand way he said it showed that he hadn’t really thought about what he’d just said.

But it started the cogs turning in Fili’s mind.

They finished the dishes and as they were packing the last things away, Frodo came down the stairs. He stood and looked at them, rubbing his eyes.

‘Where’s Bilbo?’ he asked.

‘He’s outside talking to Thorin.’ Kili said, going over and holding out a hand. ‘You want to go see him?’ Frodo nodded and Kili picked him up, balancing him on his hip like Fili used to do to him. Fili watched them go with a smile and then tracked them through the window. He saw Kili approach and transfer Frodo to Bilbo. Thorin said something and Kili’s face creased as if he was thinking really hard. Then he started to walk towards the house. Fili met him at the kitchen door.

‘We’re staying one more night.’ he said. Fili grinned.

‘Whatever you say, Thorin.’ he replied.


End file.
